The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to a filter electrical connector and to a method for assembling the same.
As explained in U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,840 to Selvin, assigned to the assignee of the present application, a problem which is frequently encountered by users of electronic equipment is that of electromagnetic interference (EMI). Such interference may be reduced by utilizing filtered connectors with such electronic equipment. The aforementioned Selvin patent discloses a unique filter connector arrangement utilizing a monolithic capacitor which is mounted between two rows of contacts in an electrical connector. The contacts are electrically connected to the parallel, spaced live electrodes on the capacitor by soldering. Thereafter the contacts and capacitor are incapsulated by a potting compound. The use of solder and potting ususally yields a lower reliability assembly that is non-repairable and requires a high degree of process control to produce.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a filter connector utilizing a monolithic capacitor as in the aforementioned Selvin patent, but without the requirement of soldering or potting of the parts, or the use of separate spring elements, preforms, fixturing or installation of separate components for each contact which is required in many prior art filter connectors now in commercial use.